As Wednesday night became Thursday morning, the hockey world was buzzing with talk about how restricted free agent defenceman Shea Weber had signed a 14-year offer sheet for a reported $110 million with the Philadelphia Flyers.

The move obviously puts the Nashville Predators between a rock and a hard place, especially since the way the deal is structured will require a serious financial commitment to keep their captain and perennial Norris Trophy finalist in the fold.

Nobody needs to remind Predators general manager David Poile that he’s already lost one marquee player in Ryan Suter this off-season.

The debate is sure to rage on until a decision is made and if we were signing the cheques, we’d be in the “Do what it takes to keep Weber” camp rather than face the prospect of a longer rebuild.

Simply put, Weber is a franchise-changer and one of the best players at his position. Plus, he’s about to enter his prime.

It also got us to thinking that a move of this nature, if successful, could leave the Jets vulnerable with Evander Kane, himself a restricted free agent.

We understand this is an apples-and-oranges hypothetical and remains a bit of a longshot, but what if a team like the New York Rangers grows tired of the asking price for Rick Nash and tosses out an offer sheet for Kane instead?

Maybe even the Flyers, who could use a talented winger after the departure of Jaromir Jagr and James van Riemsdyk.

We don’t think it will come to this and still believe the negotiations between the Jets and Kane’s camp are moving forward toward an amicable resolution for both sides, but it certainly makes for an interesting discussion.

We realize that most offer sheets have been matched during the past decade, but the “What-if” scenario is worth exploring.

You could easily make the argument the Rangers (or whatever team entered the equation) would rather absorb the loss of four first-round draft picks, presumably from 22-to-30, to try and sign Kane instead of dealing roster players/picks/prospects for Nash.

The same applies to a team that misses out in the Nash or Shane Doan sweepstakes.

Kane is closing in on his 21st birthday, has three seasons under his belt and is coming off a career year in which he produced 30 goals and 57 points, despite missing eight games and not seeing much in the way of first-line power play minutes.

He’s got a rocket shot, brings a physical side and has the drive to take his game to another level.

Sure, he can be a bit streaky when it comes to scoring and would like to add more of a playmaking element to his game, but Kane is a pure sniper and figures to be in that 30-plus category for years to come.

To suggest he could eclipse 40 as early as next season and one day take a shot at 50 is not a stretch.

Which leads us back to our original premise, what would the Jets do if a team offered Kane a deal of more than 10 years that was front-loaded and featured a big signing bonus?

Kane would only be in his early 30s at the end of that contract, but we’re not sure the organization is ready to commit more than $6 million or more for that length of time to a player at this point, no matter how high his ceiling might be.

However, there is an easy way around this potential — if unlikely — threat.

Get Kane’s name on a long-term contract that balances what he’s already accomplished while recognizing his potential moving forward.

Something in the neighbourhood of five years and around $22-to-26 million should cover it and leave both sides relatively happy.

Almost Done!

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